Helium is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert gas. The name is derived from the Greek Helios meaning sun. Most helium was formed during the Big Bang as a result of nuclear fusion of hydrogen. Except for hydrogen, helium is the most abundant element found in the universe and constitutes 10% of all matter.

The word vacuum is derived from the Latin term for empty, but in reality, no volume of space can ever be perfectly empty. A perfect vacuum with a gaseous pressure of absolute zero is a philosophical concept never observed in practice. The first everyday use a the vacuum was the incandescent light bulb which contains a partial vacuum.

Soap is largely made from fat. Beef fat is the commonly used ingredient in soap. The higher the fat content, the more luxurious it will taste. The Dove brand is owned by Unilever, a company which is the world's biggest ice cream manufacturer. Ice cream is made from dairy fat. The higher the fat content the softer it will feel to the skin.

The toothbrush replaced the twig in the 18th Century with an invention combining animal bone with hog bristle. The documented use of the twig as a dental cleaning device dates back as far as the 4th Century BC. These relatively new models come in various shapes, colours and degrees of firmness and flexibility, all pretty much having a similar effect.

Most toothpastes contain fluoride. Toxic effects of fluoride include nausea, bloody vomit, faintness, chronic fatigue, stomach cramps, tremors, diarrhoea, constipation, aches, stiffness, skin rash, weight loss, motor dysfunction, IQ deficits, learning disabilities, osteoporosis and cancer.

Most money in circulation will have almost certainly been involved in some sort of illegal activity, such as sales of stolen goods, illegal gambling or the taking of narcotics nasally. Nearly ever note in circulation will have tiny traces of Class A substances on it which you can absorb through your skin through contact with money.

The compact disc originally had a 60 minute capacity and measured 100mm diameter. To enable a 1951 recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony to fit onto one CD, a 74 minute audio capacity CD was produced which had a new diameter of 120mm. 74 to 80 minutes is currently the standard audio capacity of CDs.

A standard office hole punch creates holes measuring approximately 6mm in diameter. Two alternative methods to achieve holes in paper are:
A: Fold the paper in half so the crease forms the diameter of your required hole, then cut a semi-circle from this fold.
B: Place the paper on a piece of blutack where your required hole is located and stab a pencil through the centre point.

The many uses of the ordinary pencil include a drink stirrer, a spare chopstick, a bookmark, kindling, an ear cleaner, a hair accessory, a splint, a goal post and a back scratcher.

Top pencil sharpening tips include: Don't buy cheap plastic pencil sharpeners if you intend to sharpen pencils on an industrial scale and use a separate sharpener for graphite and wax.

Sellotape is one of few household products which is referred to by its brand name. It is sometimes referred to as adhesive tape, sticky tape or technically descriptive pressure sensitive tape. But these are more generic names which can include parcel tape or packing tape, double sided tape, duct tape, masking tape, surgical tape, electrical tape or gaffer tape.

The brown paper bag can fulfil your all retail requirements and is not only environmentally friendly but aesthetically pleasing too. Its rival the string bag is making a come back, however the cotton shopper or tote bag stays a league ahead. Why not treat yourself to a super-eco-friendly and stylish Contents May Vary Bag? Available from all good independent art outlets, RRP £2.00 only.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Socks which have a strong elasticated ankle can be recycled when the toe or heel form holes which cannot be darned. Simply cut the ankle piece off and you have an elastic band which can be interchangeable with the rubber band or the hair bobble.

Some people avoid unsightly slug trails on the sleeve by a technique which involves pressing your forefinger to close one nostril and blowing sharply out of the other nostril into the street. If you are suffering from a cold, this technique is very effective in spreading your germs and ensuring you are not suffering alone.

A Guardian G2 problem page published an query as to the standard number of toilet paper sheets one should use. People used to use, and in some environments still do, leaves as opposed to toilet roll. However it should be noted leaves do not flush very well. This wasn't the answer to the Guardian reader's problem.

There is an ongoing debate into whether kitchen roll, normal towels or hand dryers are more hygienic and more environmentally friendly. The only use I've seen kitchen roll put to in catering is to absorb excess fat from freshly fried things.

If you wrap your feet up in old cloths and throw water and soap on the floor you can clean and exercise at the same time, making mopping a less tedious task. Techniques worth noting are the circular movement and the side to side movement which can be implemented with either a single foot or both feet simultaneously.

For domestic pole vaulting, take an ordinary wooden curtain rail and select 3 pieces of household furniture which demand a progression in skill. For example for bedroom themed Olympics, take a single bed, a double bed and bunk beds to vault over.

The average volume of drool produced by a sleeping adult is 15ml per night. Over the course of a year this equates to approximately 55 litres or 96 pints of drool marinating your pillow.